Building Confidence (A McRoll in the REAL World Story)
by ilna
Summary: Jenna hears back from her first interview.


**Notes:** Thanks to Mari and Sammy as always for all their help!

Readers and REAL McRollers - thank you for your amazing support! I'm truly touched by how invested you are in this storyline and these characters.

**Hope you enjoy!**

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_Building Confidence (A McRoll in the REAL World Story)_

"And they said next week we're going to make jump ropes out of plastic bags!" Jacob was saying as the front door opened and five out of six members of the Allen family started filing into their house.

Cody came out of his first floor bedroom at the noise to greet his family before he headed out for the evening.

"Hey Cody!" Jacob said, giving him an enthusiastic wave from across the living room.

"Hi, honey," Jenna said. "How was your day?"

"It was good," he replied. "Did you hear from that supply company where you had the interview?"

"Not yet," she said with a little sigh. She looked at her other kids. "Hey gang, how about you all head upstairs to get changed and ready for tonight? Kaitlyn, did you pack for your sleepover yet?"

"I'm almost finished," she said, heading toward the stairs.

"Boys," Jenna continued, looking at Jacob and Dylan, "Chin will be here in a half hour to pick you up for the robotics showcase."

"It's gonna be so fun!" Jacob said. "Right, Dylan?"

"Yeah, I can't wait to see what's new this year," the teenager eagerly replied.

"And Casey, you have to be at work at six, right?"

"Yep, just six to nine tonight."

"Okay, that doesn't leave us a lot of time to–" Jenna's words were interrupted by the sound of her phone ringing. She reached into her purse and pulled it out to check the caller ID. Her eyes widened. "Oh, it's medical supply company," she said. Her eyes met Cody's. "About the job."

Everyone went quiet, Dylan and Jacob already halfway up the stairs stopped as they all watched Jenna answer the call.

"Hello?" She listened to the speaker. "Yes, this is Jenna." She smiled. "Hi, Annette. No, it's not too late at all, I'm just getting home." She paused, listening again. As the speaker went on, her shoulders fell and she turned away slightly. "Oh. I see."

Cody and Casey exchanged a look, picking up the clues from Jenna's demeanor before the other three.

"Of course," Jenna went on. "I understand. Thank you for the call." She listened again. "It was nice meeting you, too. Thanks. Okay, goodbye." She took a second to compose herself before turning, inhaling deeply. She looked at her children, forcing a smile. "Well, that one didn't work out. But it was just one interview," she added quickly when she saw their worried faces. "There will be others. In fact, earlier today I scheduled an interview with an insurance agency for next week." She reached over and pulled Kaitlyn who was biting her lip into a hug. "It's okay. It's going to be okay. There are no guarantees when you're looking for a job. You just have to …" Her voice caught and she frowned slightly. Shaking off the expression, she put on another smile. "You just have to do your best and keep doing your best. There's still plenty of time," she assured them. She glanced at her watch. "But not plenty of time tonight, so head on upstairs and get ready, okay?"

The four younger Allens headed upstairs, their moods decidedly less excited than a moment ago. Cody hung back, watching as Jenna set down her purse and went to the laundry room to put a load in the washer. While she was there, he took his phone out of his pocket and sent a quick text.

Jenna returned to the living room with a basket of towels that needed folding and looked at him in surprise. "Aren't you heading out? I thought you were meeting Jess and Jadon tonight."

"I told them I'd be a little late," he said.

She set the basket down on the couch. "Oh, honey, you don't have to do that. Go ahead. I'm fine."

"It's okay, Mom. I can be late. They understand. I mean, if you want to … you know, talk about it."

Jenna paused, about to protest further, but sighed instead, sitting beside the basket.

"To tell you the truth, I'm not that surprised. I know on Monday I said I thought the interview went fine, but I don't really think I did very well."

"What do you mean?"

She picked up a towel and began to fold it distractedly. "I was nervous so I was rambling and I'm not even sure I really answered the questions they were asking. I mean, I haven't done a real interview in so long. Since I first got the job at Dr. Davenport's all those years ago. The office manager interview was just a formality, even he said so since he knew my work and Barbara had recommended I take her place." She sighed, giving up on the towel and placing it in her lap. "I just wasn't prepared and I think it showed."

Cody nodded slowly. He picked up a towel from the basket, folding it as he thought. "You know," he said finally. "I've sat in on interviews with Ms. Jackson to take notes. I could help you practice before your next interview."

"Practice?"

"Yeah, so that you feel more confident before your next interview. Steve did that with me before my interview for the governor's office."

She nodded. "That's right, I remember you telling me that."

"It really helped," he said. "I was more confident going into the interview because I had thought about some of the possible questions beforehand and what I would say and how I would say it, you know? And even when there were questions I hadn't even thought of, I still felt like I could answer them because I had prepared."

"Huh," she said, turning the idea over in her head.

"What do you think?" he asked.

She smiled, shrugging. "Sounds like a good idea. I guess we could give it a try."

"Okay, what makes you the best candidate for this job?"

She laughed. "What? You meant practice right now?"

"Yeah, why wait?" he asked.

"Now that sounds like Steve," she said with a chuckle.

He smiled at the comparison and pressed on. "Well?"

She picked up the towel again. "Okay, well, um, I have … ten years experience working in the same dental practice so I'm very loyal," she began, folding the towel in half. "I have a lot of experience working with patients and insurance companies and vendors and that kind of thing. Oops," she said as she dropped one end of the towel. She picked it up, refolding as she continued. "And for the last four years I've been the office manager with … um … I mean, I've managed four employees, that is, four employees directly but then there's the hygienists and technicians and I wasn't their direct supervisor but I still–"

"Wait, wait," Cody said.

"What?"

"This is no good. You're distracted by the towels so it doesn't feel like a real interview." He looked around. "I've got an idea," he said, setting the towel he had been holding aside and standing up. "Come on."

"Cody …" she began, motioning to the basket.

"We can fold the towels later, this is important. It's gonna help. Trust me."

She smiled at his earnestness and nodded. "Okay." Putting the partially folded towel back in the basket, she stood as well.

"Go sit at the kitchen table," he said, moving toward the computer in the corner. "I'm just gonna do one thing."

As she went into the kitchen, he did a quick internet search. Once he found what he was looking for, he printed off a page and joined her in the kitchen, sitting directly across from her.

"What's that?" she asked.

"Interview questions."

She leaned forward for a closer look. "All of those?"

"This is just a start," he said. "There were lots more suggestions."

"Okay, what's first?"

He glanced down at the paper in front of him. "How would you describe the role of an office manager?"

"Well, let's see … an office manager handles the staff, scheduling … um, oh, budgeting, building operations, patient, er, rather customer issues … that kind of thing."

Cody nodded, pressing his lips together with an awkward expression.

Jenna winced. "That didn't sound very confident, did it?"

"Not really," he admitted. "You're saying what you want to say, you just have to say it more directly. That's what Steve told me. Be direct. You know the job. Like you said a minute ago, you've been doing it for four years. And you're good at it. Just … forget it's me asking. Really try to think you're at an interview."

"Okay," she said, shifting in her chair.

"How would you describe the role of an office manager?" he asked again.

She took a deep breath, sitting up straighter. "An office manager … keeps the office running smoothly. She manages the staff, the schedule, the budget, the building, customer issues, and anything else that comes up in the day-to-day operation of the business." She smiled. "That was better, right?"

"Definitely," he said, smiling back.

"Okay, what's next?" she said, leaning forward a little.

He glanced down and scanned the page for another question. "What is your personal management style?"

Jenna thought for a moment, then said, "My style is a balance between personal and professional. I believe that if employees are happy at work, they're more productive, and so I try to create a comfortable working environment for everyone. You spend a lot of time at work, so it certainly helps if you like what you do, or at the very least, where you do it," she added with a smile. "The most important thing to me is to know my staff. That way I can assign tasks based on their strengths and abilities, and can communicate with them in the most effective way. I don't think management is one-size-fits-all."

"What do you mean?" Cody asked.

"Well, let me give you an example. A couple years ago, I had an employee who was very outgoing and talkative. If I needed her to do something for me, I would chat with her for a minute, and that would always put her in a very receptive frame of mind and she'd get right to whatever I asked her to do. On the other hand, I had another employee who would get very nervous if I started talking to her about something that wasn't work related because she thought I was just making smalltalk to stall before critiquing her for something. With her I knew I had to come straight to the point while with the first woman, it was better if we chatted first. I think as a manager you must treat everyone fairly, but that doesn't mean you use the same approach with everyone."

Cody smiled. "That was awesome, Mom."

" 'Mom'?" she teased. "I thought you were my interviewer."

"Right," he said, chuckling as he looked down at the paper in front of him. "Okay, this is kind of a related question. Describe how you handle a conflict between two of your employees."

Jenna nodded, again taking a moment to compose her thoughts before speaking. "Well, first I make sure I have all the facts. I talk to both of the employees plus anyone else who might have information about the situation. Then, I make a decision on what needs to be done to best handle the conflict based on workplace policies and my own judgment. In the case of a serious conflict, I consult the business owner. Then I discuss the situation with the employees either separately or together, depending on the conflict. Ideally, we work together so that both parties feel part of the process and invested in the solution, but there are times when it's necessary for a manager to determine precisely what that solution will be."

Cody grinned.

"What?" she asked.

"I knew you could do this. You just needed to take a step back and practice."

"You don't think I paused too long before I answered, do you?"

"No. Ms. Jackson says she appreciates interview candidates who think before they start speaking."

Jenna smiled. "That's good to know. What else does Ms. Jackson say?"

"That the most important trait in an interview is confidence. Because if you're not confident in yourself, why should she be confident you can do the job? Steve said confidence was really important, too."

Jenna nodded. "I'm not surprised to hear that. It's hard not to be nervous, though."

"You can still have confidence in yourself even if you're nervous. Ms. Jackson says a good interviewer can see through the nerves. And you've got every reason to be confident because you're so good at your job."

She smiled, touched by his words. "Thanks, honey." She reached across the table to squeeze his hand. "And thank you for this. You're right, I really think this will help me gain confidence before my next interview. How lucky am I to have such a smart and thoughtful son?"

"Not luck," he said, shaking his head. "I just take after you."

She blinked back the tears that suddenly filled her eyes.

He smiled. "How about one more question?"

"Shoot," she said. "I'm ready."

"Okay, what are your greatest professional strengths?"

Before she could answer, they heard multiple feet on the stairs and were soon joined by Jacob, Kaitlyn, Dylan, and Casey.

"What are you doing?" Kaitlyn asked.

Jacob craned his head to look at the paper in front of Cody. "What's that?"

"Your brother was just helping me practice for my next interview."

"Oh, 'cause practice makes perfect!" Jacob said.

Jenna smiled. "That's right."

"What's the question?" Dylan asked.

"What are your greatest strengths?" Cody said.

"Strengths?" Jacob repeated. He looked over at Jenna. "Well, your arms are pretty strong. And your legs."

Cody chuckled. "Not like muscle-strength, Jake. Personality strengths. Like how Mom is super organized and always knows where everyone is and what they have to do next or where they're going to be. That kind of thing."

"Ohhhhh, I get it," Jacob said. He looked back at his mother with a wide smile. "Well, I think Mom is the nicest, best person in the whole world."

"Aww, honey," Jenna said, squeezing his arm. "That's so sweet."

"You're a really great listener," Kaitlyn said.

"You always think positive," Dylan added.

Casey nodded. "And you're really good under … you know, like, stress and pressure and stuff."

"You're really supportive," Cody said. "You encourage people around you … like us … to do their best."

"And you give the best hugs!" Jacob finished.

Casey chuckled. "Probably shouldn't mention that in the interview."

"Probably not," Jenna agreed, smiling. She looked at each of them in turn, clearly appreciative of their words. "Well, I am going to remember all of those strengths when I'm at my next interview, whether I say them or not. And I'm also going to remember that I have the best kids in the world, and if they have confidence in me, then I know I can do anything." She looked at Jacob. "But you know what, it takes at least two to hug, and I couldn't give the best hugs if I didn't have someone hugging me back."

With a huge grin, Jacob launched himself at his mother and was quickly enveloped in her arms. Kaitlyn, Dylan, and Casey weren't far behind as Cody smiled at the scene.

"Cody!" Jacob called. "Come on!"

"Yeah," Jenna said, beckoning across the table to him. "It's not an Allen Family Hug without all the Allens."

Smiling, he stood and walked around the table, joining the group hug.

With her family around her, Jenna smiled. "And there's nothing like an Allen Family Hug to give you confidence to face any challenge." She exchanged a look with Cody. "With that confidence and a little more practice, I'll be ready."

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**Hope you enjoyed!**

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